Making A Mark
by AnimeOtaku4444
Summary: When Kagome has a brush with death, InuYasha finds himself wishing there was a way to make her a little stronger. There IS a way, but the problem is, nobody would ever be willing to tie themselves to him so completely and irrevocably, right...?
1. Fragile

InuYasha paced back and forth in Kagome's room, at the shrine from her time. A particularly powerful plant demon had shot Kagome in the chest with a long, needle-sharp thorn, before he could get to her in time. It had missed her heart, luckily, but it had pierced a lung, and nicked at least one major blood vessel. Once the demon had been killed, InuYasha had thrown her over Kirara's back, jumped up behind her, and flown for all he was worth in the direction of the Bone Eater's Well. He knew that Kagome's time had strong medicine, and good doctors. She'd be much better off in her own time.

Her mother immediately drove Kagome to the nearest hospital, as soon as they'd arrived. Kagome was still conscious at the time, but she was struggling to breath, and coughing up blood. She was as pale as a sheet from all of the internal bleeding. If she hadn't had a collapsed lung, all the blood in her chest cavity would've been making it difficult for her to breath. This was the closest she'd come to dying while in his care for several months, and for some reason it bothered InuYasha far more than the last time or two she'd come that close to death. Perhaps that was because he'd gotten a little closer to her in the last few months.

All he knew was that the whole ordeal had scared the hell out of him. Ordinarily, a demon like that wouldn't have been any threat at all, something even little Shippo could have handled on his own. InuYasha hadn't even needed to draw Tetsuaiga to finish it off, his claws had been plenty. Kagome should've been safe, but the demon had been smart enough to wait beside a hot spring, knowing the water would attract prey. It had caught her by surprise. Miroku couldn't sense its jyaki because it was a weak demon. Even InuYasha hadn't been able to detect it, because the powerful stench of the sulphur in the water had hidden its smell.

The encounter had served to remind each of the companions just how dangerous their world was. If a pathetic demon like that could almost kill Kagome, then they were all in trouble. It had been so unsettling, that Sango had actually allowed Miroku to sit next to her at dinner, and sleep next to her on the ground, and for once, Miroku had kept his hands to himself, not wanting to mess up his quality time with her. Kirara returned to the rest of the gang once InuYasha had jumped into the well with Kagome in his arms. She stayed in her transformed state the entire night, curled up against Sango's other side.


	2. Unbreakable Bonds

InuYasha froze mid-step. His sensitive ears could hear Kagome's mother's 'horseless carriage' returning. He jumped out of the bedroom window, so he could be waiting for her before she even reached the front door. She smiled wearily when she saw him. "She's going to be just fine, InuYasha. Her wound wasn't too serious. She just needs to stay in hospital for a week or two, and rest for a few weeks after that. Stay over tonight, and tomorrow I'll take you to visit her."

InuYasha didn't like the idea of Kagome being out of commission for several weeks, but an image popped into his mind, the memory of Kagome with blood soaking her top, her breath coming in short, painful gasps, and blood spraying his face each time she coughed. He could still smell the blood on his skin, even though he'd scrubbed his face thoroughly, even using soap, once Kagome was safely on her way to the hospital. His expression grim, he just nodded at Mrs Higurashi, and followed her inside. If Kagome needed time to recover, so be it. It was his fault anyway, for doing such a poor job of protecting her.

She was always so courageous and determined, so strong and confident, that he sometimes forgot that, in the end, she was just a fragile human. The thought of what would have happened if that thorn had stabbed her just an inch or two to the right, in her heart, sending her to the afterlife, was more than he could bear. The idea of losing Kagome had never been pleasant for him, but lately, it was enough to make him feel as though a demon had thrust its hand inside his chest, grabbed a hold of his heart, and begun to squeeze, hard.

The problem was, InuYasha couldn't think of what to do when Kagome had recovered, and returned with him through the well to his time. It was all well and good to say he'd try harder to protect her, but it wasn't like he could sit on the banks while she and Sango made use of hot springs. There were inevitably going to be times when he couldn't protect her. She was strong, and able to fight as well as the other humans in their group, but that didn't mean she wouldn't get hurt again. If only she had his healing abilities, and his strong skin. It would at least protect her against the blunt blades of bandits and weak youkai and such.

That thorn would barely have been able to scratch his skin, even as sharp as it had been. There was one way... but no, it wasn't even worth thinking about. He and Kagome hadn't even been able to confess their feelings to each other, let alone... Well, they'd kissed once, but that had only been Kagome's desperate attempt to stop him when his youkai blood had taken over his senses. It hardly counted. Besides, even if Kagome and he were that close, she'd still never go for something that extreme, something which would tie her to him that powerfully and irrevocably.

No hanyou had ever been able to find anyone willing to go that far, to his knowledge, and Jinenji and Shiori weren't the only hanyous he'd ever met or heard about. Why should his luck be any better? His own mother didn't even become his father's mate, although she'd had his child. But that was understandable. His father had been the most powerful youkai of his time. No human soul could have withstood being welded to his soul. The jyaki would've killed her instantly. Still, InuYasha liked to think that his parents were linked enough to have found each other again in their next reincarnations.

Kikyo had certainly been unwilling to go for it, and she was supposed to be in love with him. No, she wanted him to turn human instead, and be weak and vulnerable like her. He would have done it, for her, but that didn't mean he would've been truly happy. Besides, marriage was a frail and pitiful bond compared to what they could have had, something which barely lasted one human lifetime. Heck, in Kagome's time it barely lasted days in some cases, from what he heard about various American 'entertainers'. There was no 'divorce' in the youkai dictionary.

It was true that Kagome was far more accepting of his hanyou status than Kikyo ever was, but that didn't mean she'd be willing to go so far as to become his mate, even to make herself stronger, and thus safer. There was no point in even considering it. After all, what about once Naraku had been defeated, and all the jewel shards had been collected, and made safe once more? What was she to do then? There was no way of severing a mate bond. It was eternal in every sense of the word. What if, when that time came, Kagome decided that her choice had been a rash one, and regretted it?

What if she even came to resent him, for agreeing to help make her stronger by becoming her mate? What if she came to hate him for not stopping her, or for suggesting it in the first place? The thought of Kagome truly hating him, the way Kikyo probably had in her last moments of life, was even worse than the thought of her dying, somehow. No, it was better to forget the idea entirely. He'd just have to find some ways of protecting Kagome better. The next day, as promised, Mrs Higurashi took InuYasha to visit Kagome in the hospital.

She'd bought him some clothes a few weeks back, for if he ever needed to travel about town in her time, as he had occasionally in the past, so now InuYasha wore some sandals, loose jeans, and a red, baggy shirt. He had a new baseball cap as well, to replace the one he'd lost while rescuing a little girl from a burning building during a previous trip to Kagome's school. He could still remember how delicious her bento box had tasted, when she'd shared it with him.

She'd even forgiven him, for the food all having slid to one side, once she'd heard of everything he'd done on his way to find her. The weather had been perfect. They'd sat on the roof together, alone, eating the wonderful food, and talking about his most recent adventures. Kagome had listened to him patiently, laughing at him, admonished him, and smiling whilst shaking her head at his antics. It had been a wonderful day.


	3. Sleep Sitting

Now, InuYasha followed Mrs Higurashi through the halls of the hospital, fighting to avoid covering his nose. The burning stench of surgical spirits, antibacterial liquid dispensers, and ammonia, was making his eyes water painfully, but he couldn't make a scene. If he did, Kagome would no doubt 'sit' him into the next century. For some reason she particularly hated it when he drew attention to himself in public. Finally his nose caught a hint of Kagome's scent in the air.

It was tough to trace it with all of the interference from the countless cleaning products which kept the hospital sterile, but he could tell that it was leaking from the tiny gaps around the door they were approaching, on their left. Sure enough, that was the door Kagome's mother stopped at. Kagome was asleep when they entered, but InuYasha could hear and smell that she was doing much better. Her heart beat was strong and steady, and she wasn't bleeding anymore. Her breathing was still a bit laboured, but it was deeper and easier than it had been when she was admitted. Any improvement was enough for InuYasha.

There was a chair next to the bed, so InuYasha sat in it. Mrs Higurashi had to get to her part-time job, which she'd applied for a few months ago when she'd had to start supplying the whole inutachi with days' worth of 'ninja food' and medical supplies. The shrine just didn't do well enough to cover all of those supplies. Thus, Mrs Higurashi was merely dropping InuYasha off. Once she'd spoken to her daughter's doctor, and spent a few minutes with Kagome, she left, promising to fetch InuYasha on her way home, in a few hours' time. Once she'd left, InuYasha subtly took a hold of Kagome's left hand. Her other hand had a drip in it.

Some of the medical techniques and equipment from this time appalled InuYasha, but he couldn't deny its effectiveness. Her wound would've most likely been fatal if she'd been trapped in his time. He thanked the kami for the millionth time that they'd been near enough to Kaede's village for Kirara to get them there in time. Then his attention was drawn back to Kagome. She seemed to be dreaming, but she was moaning. When InuYasha strained his ears, he could just make out what she was saying. "InuYasha... help me... no, please... don't sit... please forgive me..."

InuYasha growled a little, before he picked his face up off the floor. That was the second time she'd 'sat' him in her sleep. He decided to wake her up before she did it again. "Oi, Kagome." *poke poke* "Kagome!" *shake shake* "Oi, Kagome, wake up!" InuYasha jumped and hissed when a nurse stopped in the doorway behind him and shushed. Kagome chose that moment to open her eyes. "Inu...Ya...sha...don't...sit..." "GYAH!" The nurse blinked a few times, her brain making a futile attempt at understanding what she'd just seen.


	4. Reorientation

InuYasha picked himself up for the second time that day, and told her between gritted teeth that he'd tripped. Perhaps waking Kagome up hadn't been such a good idea after all. Still, it was a relief that she was conscious again. The nurse blinked a few more times, then turned around and left to get Kagome's doctor. He'd want to know that his patient had woken up. Besides, if she pretended that the last few minutes never happened, her brain hurt less. The doctor was there soon, shining a light in Kagome's eyes, and checking her blood pressure and pulse readings on the monitors.

He listened to her chest for a minute too, with his stethoscope. He took a few notes on his clipboard before smiling at Kagome, and leaving the room. Another nurse came in a few minutes after he'd left, and gave Kagome some pills. Kagome was tired, confused, and in pain, but seeing InuYasha standing next to her bed was very reassuring. InuYasha smiled at her. "Kagome, you have GOT to stop 'sitting' me in your sleep. It's bad enough when you're awake, but you almost gave that 'nurse' woman a fainting fit." She didn't seem to hear him. She was looking around, and seemed to be thinking hard.

"That youkai's thorn stabbed me... then you took me home... Now I'm in a hospital... and you're here... How did you get here, InuYasha?" "Your mom brought me. She's going to stop by later, and take me back to your house." That explanation seemed to satisfy her. She continued with her 'reorientation'. "None of us could tell that youkai was there..." "Its jyaki was too weak for Miroku to notice, and the stench of the hot springs hid its smell. From now on, Miroku and I are taking our bath first." Kagome gave a tiny nod in acknowledgment.

InuYasha was a little surprised that she hadn't at least attempted to argue with him, but he guessed she must have seen the practicality in his statement. Although, knowing her, the real reason she hadn't argued was either that she was still too tired, and in too much pain to argue about anything, or she was just humouring him, and she had no real intention of letting the boys have first dibs on the hot springs in future, or what had happened to her had scared her enough to want to make absolute sure that it never happened again. Whatever the reason was, InuYasha was glad Kagome wasn't arguing with him. He hated fighting with her.

"How are you doing? Does it hurt?" Kagome smiled weakly. "No. I must be on some really strong pain meds. Did I bleed much? I should ask if I got any transfusions. I'll want to get an HIV test, just in case." InuYasha didn't understand much of what Kagome was saying, but he ignored what made no sense to him, and focused on the sentences he recognised. "You bled like crazy. You probably want to talk to your doctor, huh? I can go sniff him out if you like." Kagome smiled again. "That's okay, I can talk to him later. How's everyone on your side?" It was InuYasha's turn to smile then.

"They're all really worried about you. Shippo was bawling when I jumped in the well. I promised I'd let them know how you were doing. I'll report back after your mom takes me back to the shrine." Kagome closed her eyes and sighed deeply. It felt good for InuYasha, hearing her take a deep breath after what had happened to her. "Tell them I'll be just fine, okay? And ask Mama to give you some cat treats to take back for Kirara. She loves sardines. I want to thank her for getting me home so fast. I want to thank you too, InuYasha. If you hadn't brought me home, I don't think I would have made it."

A dark cloud passed over InuYasha's face. "Don't talk like that, Kagome. I don't even want to think about it. As for thanking me, don't even think about it. I never should have let you get hurt in the first place." Kagome took InuYasha's right hand in her left. "Stop beating yourself up about this, okay? It was bound to happen eventually. The Feudal Era is a really dangerous time. There's no way you could've protected me every second of every day. I'm going to be just fine, so you have nothing to feel guilty for. Besides, I'm just as responsible for my safety as you are, and I couldn't protect myself either."


End file.
